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World Above at all. Another threat, this time not a quarrel between the Sidhe that humans blundered
into, but one of the Fair Folk seeking out humans to use them in some plot of his own.
"Yes," Kory said. "It is a matter that is not a new one, I fear. This Lord is very old, and very
cunning, and has long blamed humankind for his own misfortunes. But if he seeks human allies now, it is a
matter for great concern. But Master Dharinel is right in this, Eric: this must not become your fight. We
think he seeks to work through human agents, and so it must be the Guardians' work to protect them. I
know you must warn them but once you have, won't you come back to Elfhame Everforest with us?
Surely you have spent enough time in the World Above?"
"Hey, I haven't even gotten up to mid-terms yet," Eric said, trying to downpedal Kory's plea by
turning it into a joke.
"Aw, he just doesn't want to leave his new girlfriend, whoever she is," Beth said. "What about it,
Banyon? Had any hot dates lately?"
Of all the times for Bethie's erratic Sixth Sense to kick in! It's true there's a woman in my
life... sort of. But not the way she thinks.
"Too busy studying," Eric said lightly, turning it into a joke once more. "But I've made some new
friends. One of them's a gargoyle."
Beth stared at him for a moment before deciding he was serious. "Only you, Banyon!" she said. "A
gargoyle? That's a new one on me."
"His name's Greystone. He's a friend of these Guardians. Did you know that my whole apartment
building's, well, sort of the equivalent of an Elfhame, only for humans? Everybody who lives there is
special in some way, and some of them are actually magicians. Like these Guardians."
"You learn something new every day," Beth said wryly. "But hey, no reason to stand around here
like strangers waiting for a bus. Kory brought a picnic. Kick back for awhile and tell us all the news.
We've missed you. Not that you were ever the world's best letter-writer, as I recall, and anyway, e-mail
doesn't work that well Underhill."
"As if I could figure out how to use it," Eric groaned. "I can barely get the thing to spit out my
classwork assignments."
He looked around. Lady Day was getting reacquainted with Beth and Kory's elvensteeds. Since the
other two were Underhill most of the time, they'd reverted to their "natural" form as horses. Bethie's
mount was a glorious palomino, with a silvery mane and tail and a coat like dark gold. Its mane and tail
were braided with tiny silver bells, and Eric remembered the old tales that the Seleighe Court would braid
bells into their horses' manes when they went out riding.
Kory's elvensteed was a little more startling it had the form of a horse, but still retained the
markings of its motorcycle form, maroon with black and silver lightning bolts along its sides. Both of them
watched Eric with a certain amount of equine amusement.
When he looked back to the others, there was a blanket spread out on the grass, and Kory was
kneeling beside a picnic hamper, unpacking savory dishes. The odor made Eric's mouth water he'd
been too nervous before the performance tonight to eat much, and his stomach was reminding him that
he'd missed dinner, lunch, and midnight snack as well.
As Kory spread the feast before them, Eric helped Beth to sit down the pregnancy made her a
little awkward at things like that and for awhile everything was like the best of the old times Underhill
when the three of them had been happy together. But the present merriment only served to underscore
how much things had changed, as well.
"And after the baby's born," Beth was saying, "we're kind of thinking of taking her around on the
Faire circuit. Of course, that depends on... things," she finished awkwardly, glancing at Kory.
It wasn't hard for Eric to interpret that glance. Beth had talked about it with him in the time just after
she'd first known she was pregnant. Beth wanted a large family, and she was hoping to have more
children Kory's children. But even full-blooded elven children were rare occurrences among the Sidhe;
it was one of the reasons that the elves were so fond of human children, after all, and spent so much time
among them. And children born to a human and a Sidhe were even rarer still. Eric feared that Beth had
set her heart on something that was almost impossible, and the worst part of it all was that she knew it.
And being Beth, refused to believe that anything was impossible if you wanted it badly enough.
Kory took Beth's hand silently, looking wistful. There was an even greater problem that the young
Sidhe lord faced than the problem of children. Korendil had centuries of life ahead of him and Beth did
not. Right now, it was easy for her to move back and forth between Underhill and the World Above, but
eventually she would have to stay Underhill full-time, because humans who stayed in Underhill for too
long didn't age... until they stepped once more into the World Above. Then, all the years they'd cheated
by living in elven lands caught up with them instantly, killing them. So in a few decades a short time by
elven standards Beth would no longer be able to do the Faire circuit without instantly aging. In fact,
Beth wouldn't be able to come back to the World Above at all. But Kory loved the human lands... he'd
hate to give up visiting them.
And he wouldn't want to visit them without his human lover.
As if he knew what Eric was thinking, Kory glanced hopefully at Eric. They both wanted children.
Kory didn't want to lose Beth to death and age in an elven eyeblink. Both problems seemed equally
insurmountable.
And the impossible was supposed to be his specialty.
A reputation is a terrible thing, Eric thought, looking back at Kory. When nothing's ever been
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